Yellow signs posted in front of headstones labelling them unsafe have been branded "disrespectful".

Thanet District Council has attached garish notices to posts and put them beside a number of memorials in the Garden of Rest at Thanet Crematorium in Margate.

Raychel Flint, who shared photos on social media to make those with loved ones in the cemetery aware, condemned the signs saying is it "very upsetting for families".

"I think the posts with yellow signs strapped to the headstones are disrespectful," Ms Flint, who lives in Margate, said.

"The council often stick yellow signs to the headstones in the childrens' section which is very upsetting for the families affected. They are usually put up when anyone tries to put footings around the grave which the families do to keep them tidy but the council say no permanent footings are allowed."

The 45-year-old says she is concerned that relatives who do not visit the crematorium in Manston Road often will not have been notified.
She said: "I wanted to share this as I know many relatives will not know unless they visit regularly, as some people will have not been notified by post /have moved and the local council will not be aware of address.

"My main concern is what will happen to the headstones especially if the family who have burial rights aren’t aware as these headstones could be removed completely by TDC.

"I have no idea how this section of headstones can be fixed safely but it will cost the families money to do - if they are even made aware in the first place.

"The area needs to be treated with the utmost respect of those laid to rest and with minimal disturbances for everyone concerned.

"I know if it was my son's grave I would want to know and have minimal disturbance in dealing with this."

But the council has defended its actions, saying it has "responsibility for the safety within its cemeteries and churchyards".

A spokesman for the authority said: "TDC is required to reduce risks so far as is reasonably practicable.

"For memorials erected on consecrated land, an omnibus faculty has been obtained from the diocese to allow testing to take place.

"In Thanet there are estimated to be approximately 100,000 memorials and a five-year testing programme has been created to test the stability of each memorial.

"Before any testing takes place in any of Thanet’s cemeteries or closed churchyards, notices are displayed in the relevant cemetery and notices placed in the local paper advising of the date and duration of the testing in each area."

The council says where possible, memorials which fail a test are banded to a wooden post to prevent the memorial from falling.

The spokesman added: "When it is not possible to make a memorial safe using this method, then the memorial is laid flat in the grave space, by a fully qualified stonemason.

"For all memorials failing the test, a notice is placed on the memorial and contact details given for the cemeteries and crematorium office for further advice.

"For those cemeteries where TDC holds the exclusive right of burial registers, letters are also sent to the last recorded owner.

"TDC understands the sensitivity surrounding the testing programme and carries out the works sympathetically.

"The current area at Margate Cemetery undergoing testing is one of the older parts of the Garden of Rest. These memorials predate 2003 when the use of a ground anchoring system became a requirement, hence the number of memorials affected."